hey there! i’m mista,
senior, wedding & lifestyle photographer based in West Michigan!
the photographer behind mista marie photography
about me
Outside of photography, I enjoy spending time with friends and family. I am married to my middle school sweetheart, Alex! We got married April 16, 2020. The pandemic hit just weeks before our destination wedding in Charleston, SC so we had a backyard wedding with just the two of us and our dogs on FB live! We celebrated our destination wedding a year later with our close family and friends. We bought our first house in 2021. It has been so much fun renovating, decorating, and making it into a cozy home for us.
I am a dog mom to two little pups… Kota & Willow. Kota is a little 9lb yorkie/pomeranian mix and Willow is the newest addition to our family! She is a toy australian shepherd. I love dogs and they are always welcome to sessions!
Really, It’s the simple and little things that I love the most. Whether that’s shopping around at antique stores, cuddled up on the couch watching Fixer-Upper, strolling through TJ Maxx & Homegoods, traveling to explore new places, or sitting at a coffee shop sipping on a latte.
Now that you know a little more about me and my story…I’d love to know about you and help you tell yours!
my story
Ever since I picked up a camera, I have loved taking photos. It wasn’t until I graduated high school back in 2015 that I got my own dslr camera. Once I got my hands on my very own I started to pick up sessions and photograph beyond just my friends, family, and dog. People started to ask me to photograph their senior and family photos…before I knew it, this hobby I had was expanding into something more than I ever could have imagined.
When I was a senior in high school people around me would always ask what I wanted to do next. From the very beginning I knew that I wanted to be either a photographer, interior design or an architect. Everyone always said to “find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life”. So naturally I decided that I wanted to go to college for photography because it was something I have always enjoyed and wanted to learn more about. That’s when this dream job of mine was put on hold because I began to doubt myself from how people would respond. I cared too much about what others thought. I wanted to be successful in my future and based off how other’s reacted towards my decision It made me question if I would ever be able to make it as a photographer.
my own little office space downtown zeeland!
So, I attempted college not knowing what I wanted. Four-degree changes later I made the decision to go with what my heart had always desired; becoming a photographer. I decided to chase my dreams! In 2018 I made my business “Mista Marie Photography LLC” official! In April of 2019 I quit my full time job to become a full-time photographer and I couldn’t be happier! My business has grown so much since and continues to grow each year!
I owe it all to my good friend Hannah with HZ Photography. If it wasn’t for her reaching out to me back in 2017 I would not be where I am today! Originally she reached out to ask if I would photograph her friends wedding…….that’s a whole other story for another time haha! But long story short, she ended up hiring me to second shoot weddings along side of her. In that time she helped me find my confidence, guide me in the right direction and show me that it IS possible to chase your dreams. I am so grateful for her and her continual support.